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On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Joseph P. McDonald manned the switchboard at Fort Shafter in Hawaii when he received the alarming message that radar had detected a large number of planes approaching from the north, heading fast for Oahu.
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Motorists who use the Pango mobile app to pay at parking meters in Scranton will get reimbursed for any inadvertent overcharges since Sept. 1, the new operator of the city’s parking system said.
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Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright entered office with a top priority of reversing the city’s financial slide, but soon found himself knee-deep in water, snow and potholes.

Days after his inauguration, Mr. Courtright introduced a consultant to help devise a fiscal recovery plan. Within weeks, however, a major water main break and record snowfall crippled much of the city, two appointees died, pipes burst in City Hall and potholes popped up everywhere. Some big employers announced plans to flee the city and the Mall at Steamtown went into foreclosure.

“Some people are telling me, ‘You literally got baptized by fire,’” Mr. Courtright said of his first 100 days in office. “I’ve probably got a year’s worth of problems in a few months.”

Some people say the mayor and administration came into office facing enormous fiscal woes and deserve a break for having to face unforeseen challenges, big and small. But critics say Mr. Courtright so far has largely been ineffective because he has not unveiled any specific vision, goals or agenda — as his mayoral campaign slogan stated — to get Scranton “back on track.”

The mayor notes that the consultant last month issued a preliminary report that begins to define and prioritize the city’s fiscal challenges and a long-term recovery plan remains in the works.

“My concern, aside from running the city, is the city finances,” Mr. Courtright said. Asked if he thought he and his administration were on track during their first 100 days, the mayor said, “I think we’re doing what we wanted to do. You always hope to accomplish things faster, but it’s going to take time.”

Former Mayor Jim Connors, a friend and political ally of Mr. Courtright, said that in some ways, his first 100 days have not necessarily been unusual. Fiscal difficulties are a given in any city, particularly for Scranton, and handling other problems that arose under Mr. Courtright’s watch were all just part of his job, Mr. Connors said.

“The things that happened are the things that happen in the course of running a city,” Mr. Connors said. “Really, you’re juggling a lot of balls at once. It’s not unusual.”

But former Mayor David Wenzel said that even though Mr. Courtright “knew he was going into a meat grinder,” it seems he has been buffeted with more than his share troubles.

“I wouldn’t know what to do if I was in his shoes right now. Things seem to be piling up,” Mr. Wenzel said.

Overall, Councilman Pat Rogan said Mr. Courtright has risen to the challenges.

“I’m very pleased with the first 100 days, but it’s a long journey (ahead),” Mr. Rogan said. “The mayor has had some bad luck in the first 100 days with things that are out of his control.”

Publicly, Mr. Courtright has seemed unruffled by events. At least one councilman, Bill Gaughan, would like to see more urgency from the mayor.

“We can’t let our problems define us as a city. We have to be proactive,” Mr. Gaughan said.

“My biggest thing is we need some sort of vision or plan from the mayor, as I’ve said at previous meetings. I’d be happy with a set of priorities or tasks. What’s the top three issues the mayor wants to tackle?” Mr. Gaughan said. “We’ve got to set some kind of vision here — a plan, priorities, tasks. What do we want to accomplish? I’d be happy with a simple set of priorities or tasks, because then that gives greater meaning to working together. I don’t know what to work together on.”

After a string of bad news from downtown businesses rocked the city, Mr. Gaughan called the situation a “growing economic development crisis” and questioned whether Mr. Courtright had a vision or plan for the city’s immediate future.

Mr. Courtright said some businesses planned to move long before took office. He called a recent meet-and-greet mixer with downtown business owners a success and wants to continue those sessions regularly, perhaps every 90 days.

Mr. Courtright also has shown a penchant to get out from behind a desk and into the action, an approach that brought praise and criticism. He rode shotgun with snowplows during snowstorms and with police on Parade Day, when the mayor helped hold an unruly man’s arm still so he could be handcuffed by a police officer.

Mr. Gaughan and others questioned the wisdom of a civilian mayor getting involved in police work, possibly exposing the city to legal liability. However, Mr. Courtright offers no apologies for the ride-alongs, which he said allow him to see firsthand difficulties that employees face daily.

“I would have never known how difficult it is to plow city streets if I didn’t get into a plow,” Mr. Courtright said. “People say, ‘You seem to be a hands-on mayor.’ That’s the way I am. I like to be out there and see things myself.”

Mr. Courtright has picked fights with city authorities and found them ready to rumble.

A mayor can remove and appoint members of the Scranton Parking Authority at will. Mr. Courtright wasted no time in removing three SPA members.

He was rebuffed by Scranton’s four members of the Scranton Sewer Authority when he asked them to resign so he could appoint a majority all at once, instead of one at a time as terms expire over several years. When Scranton Redevelopment Authority refused to recognize one of Mr. Courtright’s appointments, the mayor sued the SRA. That lawsuit is pending.

Asked if he thinks he made any missteps during his first 100 days, Mr. Courtright said he did not believe so. He said he is pleased with his cabinet of department heads, three of whom were holdovers from the prior administration.

Mr. Connors said Mr. Courtright has been more of a behind-the-scenes mayor, in that he has not sought publicity. Mr. Connors recalled that when he was mayor, “I used to tell my cabinet, ‘Tell people what you’re going to do, then do it, and then tell them what you did.’”

“He’s very modest. I would encourage him to let people know all the things he’s doing,” Mr. Connors said of the new mayor. “He’s not a guy blowing his own horn. If I had any criticism of him, it’s that he doesn’t blow his own horn enough.”

Council President Bob McGoff said, “That may be a valid criticism of the first part of this administration, that perhaps they probably could do more on a regular basis to inform the public as to the nature of the city and its situation.”

Mr. Gaughan added, “We need to be out there in the forefront telling everyone here’s what we’re going to do.”

Mr. McGoff stressed that progress is being made in the form of incremental steps, such as the city’s recent hiring of a financial advisory firm seen as necessary for the city to obtain a bond rating for lower interest rates.

“Everything is still a work in progress. There’s no doubt there’s work being done. While there may not be a delineated plan, all of the aspects of the problems that we face are being addressed. There might not be a final solution yet, but it is a work in progress.”

Wayne Evans, vice president of the South Scranton Residents’ Association and president of the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors, also gave the mayor good marks.

“I think the first 100 days was as good as could be expected for anybody. He was hit with a lot of bad news,” Mr. Evans said.

“It was a lot to get hit with in the first 100 days. Theoretically, it’s still the honeymoon period, but when you get hit with a foot of snow and it doesn’t melt (before the next storm and a third one) the honeymoon is over quick.”

The mayor has been inclusive and surrounded himself with good department heads, said Mr. Evans, adding that he was encouraged that the mayor “is taking the financial situation head-on” by bringing in the consultant for six months.

“To take six months to come up with a concrete plan to get us out of weeds is fair,” Mr. Evans said. “We all know it’s going to take a long time (to repair the city’s finances), but we’re anxious to get on with it. The public wants to know where we’re headed.”

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